The University of California will establish the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement in Washington, D.C., as part of a concerted educational, research and advocacy effort centered on the First Amendment’s critical importance to American democracy, UC President Janet Napolitano announced today (Oct. 26).

UC President Napolitano statement on the Paris climate agreement

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As president of the nation’s largest research university, which has for decades pioneered cutting-edge approaches to curbing emissions and transitioning to a carbon neutral future, I am deeply disappointed in President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the landmark Paris climate agreement.

In October 2015, University of California experts released a framework of 10 scalable solutions for moving the world towards carbon neutrality that outlined both immediate and longer-term actions for staving off catastrophic climate change. Later that year, I joined dozens of UC experts at the climate talks that resulted in the Paris Agreement. I believed then, as I do now, that the importance of a global coalition taking coordinated action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to avert the worst consequences of a warming planet cannot be understated.

UC supports the efforts of the governor, California’s congressional delegation, and state legislators to ensure that California stays at the forefront of combating climate change. At UC, we will continue to work to meet our own ambitious climate targets, including our pledge to become carbon neutral in our operations by 2025. Our scientists and researchers will continue to conduct research and develop technologies that will dramatically accelerate our ability to transition to clean and renewable energy sources. And we will continue to rise to this challenge together, convening individuals and institutions who are committed to scalable solutions that will bend the curve on greenhouse gas emissions for the benefit of generations to come.